Communications

Irish Water chief to address Engineers Ireland conference

Irish Water chief to address Engineers Ireland conference

03 June 2013 at 09:53

Dr John Tierney, Managing Director of Irish Water, the new public water utility in charge of metering, is to give the keynote address this week at the Engineers Ireland Annual Conference 2013, titled ‘Building Ireland’s Business Networks – Driving Competitive Advantage’, it has been announced.

The Engineers Ireland conference, to take place in the Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin 4, on Thursday, June 6, will address issues such as the importance of managing Ireland’s natural resources to build competitive advantage, reform of the water sector, Ireland’s broadband network and 4G rollout, developing our transport system as well as our capacity to export energy.

“A modern, fit-for-purpose infrastructure underpins Ireland’s competitiveness and long-term economic prosperity. Ireland’s difficult fiscal circumstances mean a process of prioritisation to improve Ireland’s infrastructure is clearly necessary, with the Government’s apparent consideration of a €1 billion investment programme encouraging in this respect,” said John Power, Engineers Ireland Director General. “Infrastructure projects by their nature require long lead-times to ensure delivery. A key feature of this year’s conference will be to hear from Ireland’s key decision makers and industry leaders as to which areas need to be prioritised to secure the best return for the country, and how engineers can play a key role in this respect.”

A recent survey commissioned by Engineers Ireland of 2,064 engineers found that over 76% believe a lack of investment by the State in new infrastructure will damage Ireland’s long-term prospects.